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Staten Island's Ignizio wants signs beside red light cameras

Speed camera installed at Staten Island Intersection

This red light camera at the intersection of Hylan Boulevard and Burbank Avenue was also briefly -- and improperly -- used as a speed camera. Councilman Vincent Ignizio wants the city to post signs letting motorists know red lights are photo enforced.
(Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)

CITY HALL -- As the city prepares to roll out a slew of
traffic safety measures, City Councilman Vincent Ignizio wants the city to post
signs wherever it posts red light cameras.

"I just think we should inform, to the greatest extent
possible, when government is instituting a technology which can cost a lot of
money," Ignizio (R-South Shore) said. "If the goal here is enhanced safety and compliance,
we should inform and not entrap the motorist so he or she can take the proper
precautions."

Ignizio introduced a bill requiring the city to post
signs at red light cameras at Wednesday's meeting of the City Council.

But now, with speed cameras being rolled out across the
city, Councilman Steven Matteo (R-Mid-Island) said the bill could be expanded.

"I would look to expand it to speed cameras," Matteo said. "If
this is about safety and we want to reduce speeds and cut down on accidents,
then we should have the proper signage and motorists should know where all the
cameras are."

The use of cameras to catch speed violations in New York
City is authorized by state laws - which give the city the option to put up
signs, but don't require it. It has been city policy to not identify the
locations of red light and speed cameras - either with signs or by confirming or
providing locations to news organizations.

It's just one of several traffic measures Ignizio is
considering along with state lawmakers. He and state Sen. Diane Savino
discussed ways the city could tie the length of yellow lights to the posted
speed limits of local roads, which is done in New Jersey. That could help avoid
people stopping short to avoid red light tickets, leading to rear-end
collisions.

Ignizio introduced another bill Wednesday to use
countdown pedestrian crossing signals at all intersections that use red light
cameras. The pedestrian countdowns have been shown to decrease crashes at
intersections, and those with red light cameras have already been identified as
high-risk spots.

"We're deploying countdown clocks throughout the city, all I'm
saying is deploy them in areas where you have red light cameras first," Ignizio
said.